Cycling-skirt.



No. 630,498. Patented Aug. 8, I899.

v c. GIBBS.

CYCLING SKIRT.

(Application filed may 23, 1899.

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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C. GIBBS.

CYCLING SKIRT.

Apphcahon filed my 28 1899 Patentqd Aug. 8, I899.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

UN E STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARRIE GIBBS, OF'SOUTHSEA, ENGLAND.

CYCLING-SKIRT.

SPECIFICATION forming art Of' Letters Patent No. 630,498, dated. August8, 1899.

Application filed May 23,1399. Serial No. 717,901. (No modclfl To allwhont it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARRIE GIBBS, a resident of Tresillian, Marmionroad, Southsea, in the county of Hauts, England, have invented new anduseful Improvements in Cycling-Skirts, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in cycling-skirts, and has forits object to prevent the flowing drapery toward the rear of the sideportions of the skirt from being swung about un gracefully by the actionof the knees on the fore part of the skirt when pedaling or from beingblown about by a high wind, this object being accomplished by theprovision of means whereby the plaits or folds of the skirt are retainedin such position that they always depend gracefully at either side ofthe dress-guard of the back wheel, notwithstanding the movements of theriders legs or the action of the wind.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, wherein Figure 1 represents a rear View of the skirtas it appears when the wearer is cycling, the skirt being partly brokenaway in order to illustrate more clearly the interior portions of theskirt to which the invention more particularly relates and by means ofwhich the plaits of the skirt are retained in position when cycling.Fig. 2 is a development in the flat of the various portions of theskirt, showing their relation to each other. Fig. 3 represents ahorizontal section of the skirt as worn, taken .at a point below thelevel of the knees of the The pieces of which the skirt is formedcomprise a front width A, a back width B, a pair of front gores O C, anda pair of back gores D D, all cut out of the forms shown in Fig. 2

and stitched together as follows: The front width A is seamed at a atothe front gores G,

which are seamed at c to the back gores D,

which are seamed at d clto the back width B. The latter is cut out ofthe form shown-that is to say, it has formed in one with it lateralextensions or wings E of substantially the form shown in Fig. 2, whichwhen the skirt is made up are stitched by their anterior edges 6 to theinside of the front width A along lines 6 e symmetrically at either sideof the center, so that the said wings E will extend from back to frontwithin the skirt, as shown in Fig. 3. These wings E are of justsufiicient length to retain the plaits of the skirt in proper positionwhen the lower members of the riders legs are passed between them andthe skirt itself, as shown in Fig. 1 and indicated by dotted lines inFig. The plaits at the back of the skirt are formed by the back gores Dbeing outwardly folded along the lines f f and by inward or reversefolds being formed at the scams (1 d and by the back width B havingoutward folds or creases g g and a central inward fold it, which extendsfrom the hem to a short distance below the waistband, and is completedby two inward folds at h h, which extend down a short distance only fromthe waistband. The plaits of the material thus formed by these reversefolds are shown spread out somewhat in Fig. 3, and they are of graduateddepth, as is well understood, the effect being to cause the rear part ofthe skirt to depend gracefully, as shown in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent the plaits formed by the folds f and the adjacentside portions of the skirt from being blown out by the wind or caused toswing about excessively by the action of the knees on the front part ofthe skirt in pedaling, a plurality of narrow tiestraps F, of elasticwebbing or strips of material, are stitched by their opposite ends tothe two edges of each gore D at the seams (Z and 0, these tie-straps Fforming, in effect, laterally-extending continuations of the wings Efrom the point of origin of the latter at the scams (1 to the seams c,and they have for effect to limit the lateral spreading of the plaitsformed by the gores D. These straps F are graduated in length accordingto the varying depth of the plait which they are intended to retain, thestraps being longer toward the bottom of the skirt and graduallydiminishing in length as they proceed upward. They are at shortdistances apart, so that should the wind get under the skirt the plaitsof the skirt will be effectually prevented from being blown out anddistended, balloon-like, as would otherwise happen, so that by thismeans the graceful drapinglof the skirt is nnder all circumstancespreserved.

I claim As a new article of manufacture, a cyclingskirt having the rearportion thereof plaited as herein described and having extensions orwings cut out in one piece with the back width, and seamed t0 the frontwidth of the skirt, so as to pass between the wearers legs and connectthe back plaits to the front of the skirt, an da pluralityofcross-straps form- CARRIE GIBBS.

In presence of W. J. MAIN, M. WHETTEM.

